THE MEDIA BUSINESS

THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Michael Jordan Signs With Rayovac

By STUART ELLIOTT

Published: April 17, 1995

Michael Jordan has agreed to his first endorsement deal since returning to basketball, signing a long-term contract with the Rayovac Corporation in Madison, Wis., to be a spokesman for Rayovac Renewal re-usable alkaline batteries and Power Station chargers.

Though the terms were not disclosed, USA Today estimated the deal could be valued at $10 million over 10 years; Mr. Jordan already makes an estimated $30 million annually working for marketers like Nike, Quaker Oats and Sara Lee.

He has remained tremendously popular among consumers as he switched from the Chicago Bulls to baseball and back. A survey released last week by People magazine and Yankelovich & Partners found that American men ranked him first among men with whom they would most like to trade places, at 24 percent, followed by David Letterman at 15 percent. The survey is part of a service being introduced by Yankelovich and People, owned by Time Warner, called Pop Scores, tracking the appeal of celebrities in terms of traits like credibility as well as their familiarity.